Emily Henry’s ‘Book Lovers’: A Cliché-filled Romance Romp for Nerd Girl Summer
Epic banter, cringe clichés. That’s it. That’s the review.
I’m kidding. I have a lot of thoughts on this one. Candidly, I am not a member of the very popular Emily Henry fan club. Yet. I read People We Meet On Vacation last summer after every other person on Booktok was raving about it, and was left sorely disappointed. I came to the conclusion that perhaps contemporary romcoms just aren’t for me. I’m primarily a fantasy girl, remember?
But did I get suckered in by nerd girl summer approaching, the cute cartoon cover, and yes, an army of book lovers waving Book Lovers in my face all over social media? Yes, yes I did.
Like a responsible adult, I got it from the library this time instead of repeating my PWMOV mistake of buying the book in excitement, disliking it immensely, and having to turn around and unhaul it. Will I be adding Book Lovers to my bookshelf any time soon? Perhaps, perhaps not.
Things to know:
- It takes place between NYC and a small town in North Carolina called Sunshine Falls
- This book is part homage to us, the readers, and book lovers everywhere
- The audiobook narrator is fantastic for the two main characters
Book Lovers follows Nora Stephens, a highly successful literary agent in NYC. She grew up living the quintessential romcom upbringing: a semi-bad single mom struggling to hide their poverty by making everything “fun”, rich dad who abandoned them, and a sister with responsibility problems. I bet they even twirled to music as kids, a la You’ve Got Mail. Now add in the elitist, handsome book editor nemesis, a sister bonding getaway to a small town, and voilà, you’ve got yourself a romcom recipe.
As a 30-something, single, career-driven woman living in a big city, who is fairly sure she doesn’t want kids…I get Nora. At least those parts of her.
But as an independent only child, I don’t understand constant hovering over her married-with-children younger sister. Her sister is a grown adult with two kids, another on the way, and a successful husband. So why does Nora constantly treat her as if she doesn’t have her life together, and feels responsible for her financially?
I will say, the sister is annoying at times. Ok, a lot of the time. She comes across as immature, constantly saying things like, “Come on sissy, it’s on the list!” She also signs Nora up for a dating app behind her back. Big no, no.
After reading two of her books, I just don’t love Emily’s writing style. However, one thing she excels at is the banter. The banter is top tier entertainment. And honestly, the spice in this book was pretty great too.
As a San Francisco resident who grew up in a tiny town, I felt this in my soul:
“That’s what I love about New York, you’re never the weirdest person in the room. There’s always that person with silver body paint, who asks you to repair his UFO.”
I like that you’re anonymous there, you’re whoever you decide to be. And places like this you never shake off what people first thought about you.”
Overall, I didn’t love the first half or more of the book. It was full of over-the-top cringe moments. But I actually teared up reading this! Shocking turn of events, I know. And even though I’m reviewing it a bit harshly because of the neverending clichés and unbelievable situations, the last 20% of the book was pretty amazing, and redeemed itself.
It’s ultimately a love letter to us book lovers all over the world, and for that, I’m grateful. If you’re a contemporary romcom lover, this might just be your new favorite.
“I make no promises but I offer many doors.”